Week in sports: November 22, 2007

La Jolla Country Day opened the CIF-San Diego Section Division V playoffs in style, cruising to a 36-19 victory over Mountain Empire on Nov. 16.

The Torreys moved on and were scheduled to travel to Francis Parker for a 7 p.m. quarterfinals matchup on Nov. 23.

Faced with a fierce pass rush, quarterback Derek Hatfield did most of his damage on the ground, rushing 33 times for 131 yards and three touchdowns. He also passed for 101 yards on 7-of-16 passing, with one interception.

Tailback Motell Allen added 93 yards on 14 carries.

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Defensive end Doug Rogers returned a fumble 59 yards for a touchdown. John Hansbrough intercepted a pass and blocked a Mountain Empire punt, while Connor Gerhart and Shonta Chiloux each added an interception and Anthony Barkett recovered a fumble. Allen led the team with six tackles.Kicker Travis Golia converted field goals of 23, 36 and 43 yards and consistently pinned Mountain Empire deep with his booming kickoffs.

La Jolla High School had a bye in the first round of the CIF-SDS Division IV playoffs and was scheduled to host Coronado on Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.

The Bishop’s School earned a first-round bye in the CIF-SDS Division V playoffs and was scheduled to host Vincent Memorial of Calexico on Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m.Boys’ water poloThe Bishop’s School fell short in its quest to secure another CIF-SDS Division II championship. The Knights had their string of titles snapped on Nov. 17, falling to archrival Coronado, 9-1, in the title game.

The Knights had advanced to the final with a 12-5 win over neighborhood rival La Jolla High School on Nov. 14. On Nov. 10, Bishop’s, the second-seeded team in the playoffs, beat Valhalla, 12-5. The Knights opened the playoffs with a 19-1 win over Mission Bay.Bishop’s finished the season with an 18-7 record.La Jolla High School advanced to the playoff semifinals with wins of 20-4 over Valley Center and 13-5 over Santana before falling to Bishop’s. The Vikings wrapped up their 2007 campaign with a 16-7 mark.Girls’ volleyballLa Jolla High School advanced to the CIF-SDS Division III finals, falling one step short of a section championship. The second-seeded Vikings secured a thrilling 24-25, 25-20, 26-24, 27-25 victory over third-seeded San Dieguito Academy on Nov. 14 in the semifinals. Their luck ran out, however, in the Nov. 17 championship match, as they fell to Cathedral Catholic, 25-15, 25-6, 25-20.

Because the top two teams in each section advance to the state tournament, the Vikings’ season will go on. They were scheduled to visit top-seeded Harvard-Westlake for a first-round game in the state’s Division III bracket on Nov. 20.The Bishop’s School also fell short in its quest for a section championship, as it advanced to the CIF-SDS Division IV title game and lost to Santa Fe Christian, 22-25, 25-18, 17-25, 25-18, 15-10.Bishop’s beat Francis Parker, 23-25, 25-15, 21-25, 26-24, 15-9 in a Nov. 14 semifinal match to advance to the final. The Knights were seeded second, and Santa Fe Christian was the No. 1 seed.The Knights were seeded second in the state’s Division IV bracket and were scheduled to host Elizabeth Learning Center of Cudahy in a first-round match Nov. 20.

La Jolla Country Day fell to Santa Fe Christian in the semifinals on Nov. 14, 25-81, 25-11, 25-21.Cross countryLa Jolla Country Day’s boys’ team captured yet another CIF-San Diego Section Division IV championship, as the Torreys captured their sixth crown in seven seasons on Nov. 17 at Balboa Park’s Morley Field. Country Day scored 62 points to second-place Coronado’s 75.Junior Alex Poyhonen led the way, finishing second in 17 minutes, 5 seconds. He was followed closely by Dennis Roth, who was seventh in 17:46. Alex Fleischhacker was 16th, Lee Klitzner was 17th, Jason McCallum was 20th, Vinny Pujji was 39th, and Phillip Poyhonen was 41st. Torreys coach Scott Sanders credited the third through fifth runners with securing Country Day’s win in a race that saw eight different schools place a runner in the top 10.Country Day’s girls’ squad did not have enough runners to field a full team, though Sasha Binderow turned in a solid individual performance, finishing 18th in 19:53.La Jolla High School’s girls’ team had two individuals qualify for the CIF-State Championship meet with their performances at the CIF – SDS Finals on Nov. 17.Juniors Nihal Kayali and Courtney Avampato qualified, and will run in the Division II race at Fresno’s Woodward Park on Nov. 14.Field hockeyLa Jolla High School fell to Serra in the second round of the CIF-SDS Division II playoffs on Nov. 12. The Vikings had won their first-round game, 6-2, over El Capitan. They finished the season with a 12-8 record.

Although those in attendance at the new Safe, Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative (SHNI) meeting Sept. 4 in the La Jolla Library were seeking local solutions to the homelessness they’ve observed in their neighborhoods, they were met instead with broader City- and County-wide resources that address the varied facets of this very complex issue.

Sitting at the Brick & Bell coffee shop in La Jolla Shores on Sept. 4 with local residents Sandra Munson and Tim Johnson as they catch up over iced teas, one would never know that just three weeks prior, the two were undergoing surgery so Munson could donate a kidney to Johnson.